2009 Michigan Wolverines Football Team - Practice Time Limit Investigation

Practice Time Limit Investigation

In an August 30, 2009 Detroit Free Press article, several current and former players on the 2008 and 2009 teams speaking anonymously said Michigan frequently violated the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) off-season 8 hour per week and in-season 20 hour per week practice limit. Rodriguez denied all of the allegations at a press conference the next day; The New York Times quoted him as saying "We know the rules, and we follow the rules." The University of Michigan Athletic Department's compliance office notified both the NCAA and the Big Ten Conference of its intentions to investigate itself. Unlike the University of Michigan basketball scandal where all of the participants had left the school by the time the investigation completed and punishment was handed down, many of the athletes involved in this scandal are still students at the University of Michigan; failure to cooperate with the investigation might result in the NCAA revoking the athletes eligibility to participate in athletic competitions. In November, the university revealed its finding that the team failed to file the proper paperwork to document the team's training schedule.

The NCAA had the right to either accept Michigan's findings once the athletic department's inquiry was completed or to conduct its own investigation. On October 23, 2009 the NCAA notified the school that it had decided to begin a formal investigation into the matter; they expected it to be completed by December 31, 2009. On February 22, 2010, the NCAA accused Michigan of failing to comply with practice time rules and "failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance within the football program" under coach Rich Rodriguez. The university had 90 days to respond and appeared at an NCAA hearing on infractions in August. Michigan issued self-sanctions on May 25, 2010, which included cutting practice time and placing itself on two years worth of probation. Michigan did, however, dispute the claim that Coach Rodriguez "failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance." The NCAA handed down their final verdict in the case on November 4, 2010, which accepted almost all of the self-sanctions that Michigan provided. Michigan was docked 130 practice hours, which was twice the number of excess hours that the university had exceeded, and placed on three years probation, which was one more than originally proposed; but the university and Rodriguez did, however, escape the most serious charge of "failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance," as the NCAA agreed with Michigan's statement that the cases were not deliberate and isolated. This ruling ended the NCAA's investigation of Michigan's football program.